Day Trip to Muthathi

Lukeskywalker · 19th August 2009, 16:13

Monday night me and my wife met up with Hrag for dinner, as we were eating she got a call from her office to be informed that one of the employees was showing signs of H1N1 and so office would be shut the following day for fumigation. Since Hrishi was needling me about not exceeding 1000kms even after 3 days of ownership of the Safari I decided to bunk work for a day and instead do a day trip someplace.

Tuesday morning we decided to leave home after breakfast and head out towards Kanakpura as there are quite a few places like Bluff, Bheemeshwari, Muthathi and Mekedatu. Being a weekday I was quite confident that all of the places would be devoid of revellers. Some phone calls to Jungle Lodges were made and they flatly refused to entertain us for just lunch, they had a day package with all the trimmings at 1000 bucks per head. We felt this was not worth it as we would only spend time for lunch.
I had to stop by at Prerana Motors on Lalbagh road to collect the safari’s Tax challan, meanwhile my wife and mother walked onwards towards MTR and got us some food packed. Thus equipped with fuel for both the machine and ourselves we set off for Kanakapura road. The road is excellent once we leave the city limits and it’s a breeze till Kanakpura itself. The road within Kanakpura town is nonexistent and then again is good as we leave town.
Enroute it was decided to go to Muthathi as I had not been to that place before. We need to turn off at a place called Kabbalu (left turn) on the Kanakpura road. From here we reach Sathanur, at Sathanur a left turn takes us to Mekedatu and Galibore. The straight road goes towards Muthathi and Cauvery fishing camp (Bheemeshwari). It is a very scenic drive to Muthathi from Sathanur. We enter the Muthathi forest range and the greenery is quite refreshing.

Black Storm

First View of Cauvery

We reached Muthathi around 2.45 pm and had to pay a 50 rupee entrance fee for the car. We parked by the river and discovered a horde of simians who wanted to join us for lunch. So, ravenous as we were we decided to eat within the confines of the car itself. This is where the space in an SUV appealed to me, it would have been quite uncomfortable for 3 people to dine in the Optra, but here it seemed like we could actually invite some friends too.
Lunch done, we stepped out and it was photo time, I backed the car into the river and had to just wet the rear wheels as the ladies were asking me not to show off too much and if stuck there were no Bhpians to pull me out.

My first pic with the car

But I wanna get wet

A guy kept calling me ‘Boss’ and pestering us to take a coracle ride,
Me: How much for the three of us?
‘Boss’man: Sir just 300 rupees
Me: I can reach Bangalore with 300 bucks worth of diesel.
‘Boss’man: Ok sir, make it 150
Me: Ok deal, but you will have to wait till we have had enough on the other side before bringing us back.

The Boatman

So off we went, the river was quite swollen as they had released water a couple of days ago from the dam upstream, the coracle too was having a leak and the water quickly wet our backsides and I had to retrieve my wallet from my hip pocket and hand it over to my mom for safe keeping. The coracle man had to work quite hard against the strong current and finally reached the opposite bank.

The far side

Hard work

Closer to the shore

Here again we walked around taking random snaps and thinking it would be a nice place for a beach party with friends.

From the other side

We saw dark clouds gather above us and so decided to get back before we get fully drenched. The coracle guy had emptied the coracle of the accumulated water and it was a relatively dry coracle we got into. I was like, not bad he seems to have fixed the leak, my wife then pointed out that I was in fact sitting in a puddle of water, my rear was so wet that I could not notice the water around me.
We were safely brought back to shore and had to cough up 200 bucks for the ride as I felt that the man rowing did in fact work hard to ferry us to and fro.
I had to shift to 4H to climb the steep sandy incline back onto the road.
We retraced our way back to Kanakpura and stopped at Vasu’s Hotel for some yummy dosas and good coffee. Near Bangalore, I decided to take the NICE road to join Mysore road to get back home.

The Black Storm on the return

Reached home with the odo reading 980kms, still short of the 1k mark in 6 days.

unni.ak · 19th August 2009, 17:03

Do you still want to paint it all black?? If you do, there is something seriously wrong with you

Great pics of the Safari. It just looks WOW.

coolclouds · 19th August 2009, 17:36

Nice photos and good place for a day trip!! How far is this place from Bangalore?

fast_elegance · 19th August 2009, 17:48

Nice Photos and a nice place

. Your machine looks mean in black. Seems like the entire place was booked by you. No other visitors in sight. What is the distance to that place from sarakki gate ?

n.devdath · 19th August 2009, 17:54

Hmmm...so trips have begun, good start, and yes the truck looks good in dual tone.

gadadhar · 19th August 2009, 18:00

Did it needed that 4H to climb or you tried it to get a feel of it.. BTW. nice snaps and the black guy looks terrific in that backdrop

i_see · 19th August 2009, 18:35

hi,
i also did the same trip on 16th in my VDi. amazing drive all along(except roads in kanakapura) from satanur to muttati the twisty winding road along the valley was very beautiful.
this route is highly recommended from my side

Quote:

Originally Posted by fast_elegance

What is the distance to that place from sarakki gate ?

was around 70-80 kms from jayanagar. very easily do able in 2 hrs max

Lukeskywalker · 19th August 2009, 19:09

@ Cool Clouds and Fast Elegance

Quote:

How far is this place from Bangalore?

Quote:

What is the distance to that place from sarakki gate ?

The place is under 100 kms if you are starting from South Bangalore

@ Gadadhar

Quote:

Did it needed that 4H to climb or you tried it to get a feel of it

The incline was soft sand, so I thought it was better to have it in 4H rather than slip while climbing, maybe it could have climbed in 2H too but didn't want to take chances,

As far as getting a feel of the 4 wheel drive, have tried it out near my farm so no surprises there.

princezahed · 19th August 2009, 21:20

@Hari Bhai : New Car? Congrats. Dint know that. Called you a few times but never got through.

mjothi · 19th August 2009, 21:25

Somnathpura and now Muthathi. Umm, thats want we call Diesel advantage

As usual, Great pics.

lohithrao · 19th August 2009, 21:37

Hari, which place is next?

am sure the big beast is keeping you busy

Great pics and write up!

akroy · 19th August 2009, 22:55

Hari, another one in 2 days. I am not surprised. Good Pics specially the stunning Black Storm. So planning for off-roading session in the weekend now.

OT: I was wondering why you didnt reply to my PM. Now i know you were busy drivng and writing blogs.

Abhi

arin_12 · 20th August 2009, 00:32

Hari, It looks like u tried some Off Roading too with the new beast

Lukeskywalker · 20th August 2009, 10:38

@ Abhi

Quote:

I was wondering why you didnt reply to my PM. Now i know you were busy drivng and writing blogs.

Hey I did see your PM, will talk with you soon, yes been busy driving and working, need to give it for service today.

@ Arin 12

Quote:

Hari, It looks like u tried some Off Roading too with the new beast

Well the whole purpose of buying this vehicle is for some off roading too.

theMAG · 20th August 2009, 12:00

Hari,

I didnt know you got a Safari. Congrats on the buy and a nice travelog.

19th August 2009, 16:13	#1
Lukeskywalker Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,397 Thanked: 1,243 Times View My Garage	Day Trip to Muthathi Monday night me and my wife met up with Hrag for dinner, as we were eating she got a call from her office to be informed that one of the employees was showing signs of H1N1 and so office would be shut the following day for fumigation. Since Hrishi was needling me about not exceeding 1000kms even after 3 days of ownership of the Safari I decided to bunk work for a day and instead do a day trip someplace. Tuesday morning we decided to leave home after breakfast and head out towards Kanakpura as there are quite a few places like Bluff, Bheemeshwari, Muthathi and Mekedatu. Being a weekday I was quite confident that all of the places would be devoid of revellers. Some phone calls to Jungle Lodges were made and they flatly refused to entertain us for just lunch, they had a day package with all the trimmings at 1000 bucks per head. We felt this was not worth it as we would only spend time for lunch. I had to stop by at Prerana Motors on Lalbagh road to collect the safari’s Tax challan, meanwhile my wife and mother walked onwards towards MTR and got us some food packed. Thus equipped with fuel for both the machine and ourselves we set off for Kanakapura road. The road is excellent once we leave the city limits and it’s a breeze till Kanakpura itself. The road within Kanakpura town is nonexistent and then again is good as we leave town. Enroute it was decided to go to Muthathi as I had not been to that place before. We need to turn off at a place called Kabbalu (left turn) on the Kanakpura road. From here we reach Sathanur, at Sathanur a left turn takes us to Mekedatu and Galibore. The straight road goes towards Muthathi and Cauvery fishing camp (Bheemeshwari). It is a very scenic drive to Muthathi from Sathanur. We enter the Muthathi forest range and the greenery is quite refreshing. Black Storm First View of Cauvery We reached Muthathi around 2.45 pm and had to pay a 50 rupee entrance fee for the car. We parked by the river and discovered a horde of simians who wanted to join us for lunch. So, ravenous as we were we decided to eat within the confines of the car itself. This is where the space in an SUV appealed to me, it would have been quite uncomfortable for 3 people to dine in the Optra, but here it seemed like we could actually invite some friends too. Lunch done, we stepped out and it was photo time, I backed the car into the river and had to just wet the rear wheels as the ladies were asking me not to show off too much and if stuck there were no Bhpians to pull me out. My first pic with the car But I wanna get wet A guy kept calling me ‘Boss’ and pestering us to take a coracle ride, Me: How much for the three of us? ‘Boss’man: Sir just 300 rupees Me: I can reach Bangalore with 300 bucks worth of diesel. ‘Boss’man: Ok sir, make it 150 Me: Ok deal, but you will have to wait till we have had enough on the other side before bringing us back. The Boatman So off we went, the river was quite swollen as they had released water a couple of days ago from the dam upstream, the coracle too was having a leak and the water quickly wet our backsides and I had to retrieve my wallet from my hip pocket and hand it over to my mom for safe keeping. The coracle man had to work quite hard against the strong current and finally reached the opposite bank. The far side Hard work Closer to the shore Here again we walked around taking random snaps and thinking it would be a nice place for a beach party with friends. From the other side We saw dark clouds gather above us and so decided to get back before we get fully drenched. The coracle guy had emptied the coracle of the accumulated water and it was a relatively dry coracle we got into. I was like, not bad he seems to have fixed the leak, my wife then pointed out that I was in fact sitting in a puddle of water, my rear was so wet that I could not notice the water around me. We were safely brought back to shore and had to cough up 200 bucks for the ride as I felt that the man rowing did in fact work hard to ferry us to and fro. I had to shift to 4H to climb the steep sandy incline back onto the road. We retraced our way back to Kanakpura and stopped at Vasu’s Hotel for some yummy dosas and good coffee. Near Bangalore, I decided to take the NICE road to join Mysore road to get back home. The Black Storm on the return Reached home with the odo reading 980kms, still short of the 1k mark in 6 days.
	(1) Thanks

19th August 2009, 17:03	#2
unni.ak BHPian Join Date: May 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 777 Thanked: 84 Times View My Garage	Do you still want to paint it all black?? If you do, there is something seriously wrong with you Great pics of the Safari. It just looks WOW.
	() Thanks

19th August 2009, 17:36	#3
coolclouds Senior - BHPian Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: Garden City Posts: 1,798 Thanked: 519 Times	Nice photos and good place for a day trip!! How far is this place from Bangalore? Last edited by coolclouds : 19th August 2009 at 17:38.
	() Thanks

19th August 2009, 17:48	#4
fast_elegance BHPian Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Mangalore/Bangalore Posts: 437 Thanked: 248 Times View My Garage	Nice Photos and a nice place . Your machine looks mean in black. Seems like the entire place was booked by you. No other visitors in sight. What is the distance to that place from sarakki gate ?
	() Thanks

19th August 2009, 17:54	#5
n.devdath BANNED Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Bangalore Posts: 4,287 Thanked: 2,811 Times	Hmmm...so trips have begun, good start, and yes the truck looks good in dual tone.
	() Thanks

19th August 2009, 18:00	#6
gadadhar Senior - BHPian Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 1,342 Thanked: 1,116 Times View My Garage	Did it needed that 4H to climb or you tried it to get a feel of it.. BTW. nice snaps and the black guy looks terrific in that backdrop
	() Thanks

19th August 2009, 21:20	#9
princezahed BHPian Join Date: May 2005 Location: Bangalore -> Coorg Posts: 281 Thanked: 55 Times	@Hari Bhai : New Car? Congrats. Dint know that. Called you a few times but never got through.
	() Thanks

19th August 2009, 21:25	#10
mjothi Senior - BHPian Join Date: Dec 2007 Location: Bangalore Posts: 3,287 Thanked: 231 Times View My Garage	Somnathpura and now Muthathi. Umm, thats want we call Diesel advantage As usual, Great pics.
	() Thanks

19th August 2009, 21:37	#11
lohithrao Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Kudla/Mangaluru Posts: 3,204 Thanked: 225 Times View My Garage	Hari, which place is next? am sure the big beast is keeping you busy Great pics and write up!
	() Thanks

19th August 2009, 22:55	#12
akroy Senior - BHPian Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: San Francisco, CA, USA Posts: 2,423 Thanked: 85 Times View My Garage	Hari, another one in 2 days. I am not surprised. Good Pics specially the stunning Black Storm. So planning for off-roading session in the weekend now. OT: I was wondering why you didnt reply to my PM. Now i know you were busy drivng and writing blogs. Abhi
	() Thanks

20th August 2009, 00:32	#13
arin_12 BHPian Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Bangalore Posts: 627 Thanked: 84 Times View My Garage	Hari, It looks like u tried some Off Roading too with the new beast
	() Thanks

20th August 2009, 12:00	#15
theMAG Distinguished - BHPian Join Date: May 2006 Location: Avon, CT Posts: 7,217 Thanked: 1,807 Times View My Garage	Hari, I didnt know you got a Safari. Congrats on the buy and a nice travelog.
	() Thanks